a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a port catheter for introducing a fluid into a hollow organ of a human or animal body, with a port unit implantable into the human or animal body, which port unit includes an interior chamber, to which can be supplied the fluid to be introduced into the hollow organ of the human or animal body, and a tube connected to the port unit, which tube comprises an inner channel through which the fluid can be conducted into the hollow organ.
b) Description of Related Prior Art
Port catheters serve for introducing fluids, for example for drug therapy, into hollow organs of the human or animal body. In this way, for example in chemotherapy, drugs are introduced directly into the blood circulation. Apart from the introduction of fluids into blood vessels, fluids can also be introduced using port catheters into the gastrointestinal tract, the bladder and other hollow organs.
Port catheters conventionally have a cup-shaped port unit with a chamber closed by a silicon diaphragm and a tube connected to the port unit. By piercing the silicon diaphragm the fluid to be introduced into the hollow organ is injected into the chamber of the port unit and reaches the hollow organ through the inner channel of the tube disposed with its delivery end in the hollow organ. The port unit is conventionally implanted subcutaneously.
A conventional surgical procedure for implanting the port catheter is the Seldinger technique. In this technique a needle with a sleeve disposed thereon is advanced into the hollow organ, in particular the blood vessel. After the inner needle has been pulled out, the tube with its delivery end directed ahead can be slid through the sleeve into the hollow organ until the delivery end has reached the desired site. The sleeve is subsequently removed. For this purpose the sleeve can be torn open longitudinally along a tear line and consequently can be separated from the tube. The tube is subsequently brought to the desired length and placed onto a connection piece of the port unit. The port unit is inserted into the prepared skin pocket and fixed in position on the fascia by suturing.
A disadvantageous step in this surgical procedure is the shortening of the tube to the correct length and the subsequent joining together with the connection piece of the port unit. During this joining no air bubbles are allowed to enter the tube. The delivery end of the tube in the hollow organ must, as much as possible, not become displaced. In addition, the shortening of the tube and the joining together of the shortened tube with the connection piece requires intensive manipulation of the parts of the port catheter. Each contact of the port catheter by the surgeon or each contact of the port catheter with the skin of the patient more or less impairs the sterility of the port catheter, which entails a corresponding infection risk through the implanted port catheter.
DE 8 437 873 U1 discloses a port catheter in which the length of the tube connecting to the port unit is implemented such that it is variable. For this purpose the tube can be partially disposed in the cup-shaped port unit and be drawn out of the connection piece of the port unit to the desired length. In another embodiment the tube is wound about a reel rotatably disposed in a port housing and can be pulled out of the port housing in the desired length. While through this implementation a simplification of the required manipulation during the surgery can be attained, through the required manipulation on the port catheter there yet is the risk of impairing the sterility.